1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to real-time monitoring and control of treatment of formation zones and production of hydrocarbons therefrom.
2. Background of the Art
Wellbores are drilled for the production of hydrocarbons (oil and gas) from traps or zones in subsurface formations at different wellbore depths. Such zones are also referred to as reservoirs or hydrocarbon-bearing formations or production zones. A casing is generally placed inside the wellbore and the space between the casing and the wellbore (annulus) is filled with cement. A completion string or assembly containing a number of devices is placed inside the casing to perform a variety of operations downhole, including, but not limited to, fracturing and packing zones, gravel packing and flooding zones with fluids supplied from the surface. Typically, the completion assembly includes an outer assembly and an inner or service assembly placed inside the outer assembly. The outer assembly typically contains packers to isolate zones, flow control devices to provide fluid communication between inside of the outer assembly and the formation, sand screens for preventing or mitigating flow of solid particles above a certain size from the formation to the inside of the outer string. The inner assembly typically contains devices to open and close or operate flow control devices or valves in the outer assembly and to provide a fluid path from the surface to the outer assembly. To treat a zone, the treatment fluid or slurry is supplied to the inside of the inner assembly, which is supplied to the formation via a port in the inner assembly and another port in the outer assembly. After a treatment operation, the inner string is pulled out from the wellbore and the wellbore is made ready for the production of hydrocarbons from the various zones. It is desirable to place sensors downhole close to the flow of the fluids to and from the zones that frac such zones to monitor treatment operations and to subsequently monitor production of the hydrocarbons from such zones without encroaching into the space between the outer string and the casing or the well bore.
The disclosure herein provides apparatus and methods for real-time monitoring and control of downhole operations, including treatment and production operations utilizing sensors in a sand screen tubing.